Comedienne's Second TV Show Canceled This Year
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Cane: The Two Alex Vegas
(S01E03) So I was beginning to have really mixed feelings about this show. I loved the classic themes and plots which allow for so many storylines and conflicts. And of course, no one can argue with this ensemble cast. But I felt like the story wasn't pulling me in and Alex's character wasn't believable or appealing. (I know it's TV so "believable" is a huge demand, but I mean that brand of TV believable.) I watched last week and had this sense that something was just missing. Maybe it has too many characters. Maybe it has too many storylines. Maybe CBS keeps these storylines a little too PG for a show that's slated for 10 p.m. (HBO could turn this plot and this cast into the just-can't-miss-it television that populates the Sunday night time slots.) But tonight, all my mixed feelings about Cane started to disappear...
Thankfully for audiences, Rita Moreno had more of a role in this week's episode. Her dialogue with Hector Elizondo about what to make for dinner was a little irrelevant but funny. I loved his shouting, "No fish" and her shouting back as she exited his office, "We're having halibut." Also, her dialogue with Nestor Carbonell furthered the theme of this episode: secrets. I was surprised to find out that even she didn't know why Alex and Pancho hate the Samuels so much. She told her son that she didn't hate them she just didn't trust them because her husband hated them. This part of the storyline doesn't quite work for me. Even Ellis Samuels (who the previews for Cane bill as the villainess of the show) doesn't know her father's dark past with the Duques. It makes her and Frank seem innocent. It makes their affair seem less scandalous. Frank is almost a sympathetic character (emphasis on the "almost"). If he doesn't know what Joe Samuels has done to his family then how can he object wholeheartedly to doing business with him or be disgusted at the idea of having a relationship with Joe's daughter. 
I was happy to see Alex broach this topic with his father. Alex is right. Why not just tell Frank? Pancho seemed to think that since blood is thicker than water that Frank's feelings of resentment will subside.
Apparently Pancho was wrong and these feelings will only get worse, further eroding the relationship between the brothers and calling into question Frank's loyalty to his entire family. This week the conflict with Alex and Frank heated up. It was exciting to see that the lines were drawn in the sand between the two men who will be responsible for most of the conflict this season. The scene at the end where Alex lights his cigar and Frank just stares back from the deck of his boat as Ellis speeds away in a little red sportscar was priceless. Audiences also got their first look at a real argument between Alex and Frank. Both characters were privy to the other's secrets and they whispered threats as the entire family stood an earshot away in the other room. The low lighting and close-ups on the actors' faces added to the suspense.
It was nice to see a little glimmer of fear in Alex's eyes after Frank threatened to tell Pancho about the murder. It's important to see the main character sweat a little. That way, when he / she gains the upper-hand again, it's worthwhile for the audience. I just couldn't engage in Alex's character up until now. He always seemed so in control.
| No, at least not next week. | |
|---|---|
| Yes, definitely. | |
| Probably later on this season. |
_thumbnail.jpg "Duque Rum Factory")
_thumbnail.jpg "Frank and Ellis")
_thumbnail.jpg "Jaime Duque")
_thumbnail.jpg "Artie Vega")
_thumbnail.jpg "Amalia Duque")
_thumbnail.jpg "Henry and Daddy Yankee")
_thumbnail.jpg "Henry Duque")
_thumbnail.jpg "Pancho Duque")
_thumbnail.jpg "Hector Elizondo")
_thumbnail.jpg "Jimmy Smits")
_thumbnail.jpg "No Quinones Here")
_thumbnail.jpg "The Miami Coastline")
_thumbnail.jpg "Isabel Vega")
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